‘Football was made for Chris’

Friends and fans remembered Chris Schultz as a gentle giant who became a respected TV and radio analyst after a successful playing career with the Dallas Cowboys and Toronto Argonauts.

Schultz, born in Burlington, died Thursday after suffering a heart attack. He was 61.

At six-foot-eight and 277 pounds during his playing career, Schultz was hard to miss on and off the field. The former offensive tackle was a big man with a grip to match.

“He was a genuine personality. He was himself,” said TSN broadcaster Rod Smith, a longtime friend and colleague. “There was no pretence to him. He could be gentle with people. He always asked about my family. But at the same time, he was strong, he was imposing. And oh that handshake. It was the most crushing handshake — and I’ve got big hands — that I’ve ever experienced in my life. I think of him right now and I just think of shaking his hand. You always had to be ready.”

In an era when a Canadian in the NFL was something special, Schultz turned heads when he was drafted by America’s Team in 1983. Taken in the seventh round (189th overall) after a college career at the University of Arizona, Schultz played 21 games for the Cowboys from 1983 to 1985 under Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry before returning home to play for the Argonauts in 1986.

The Argos had selected Schultz seventh overall in 1982. He played for Toronto from 1986 to 1994 and was named a CFL all-star twice (1987 and ’88) and East all-star three times (1987, ’88 and ’91). He was named to the Argonauts alltime team in 2007.

“Chris Schultz was made to play football, or football was made for Chris Schultz,” Argonauts GM Michael (Pinball) Clemons said in a statement. “Either way it was a symbiotic relationship … His passion reverberated on radio, television, coaching kids or walking the dog. He was always willing to talk football. I’m disappointed because he had more to give, and my fervent hope is he knew how much he was loved.”

Clemons, Schultz and quarterback Matt Dunigan, who joined Schultz as a TSN analyst, combined to win the 1991 Grey Cup for the Argos, capping a season to remember under the ownership of Wayne Gretzky, John Candy and Bruce McNall. Schultz also played in the 1987 Grey Cup, which the Argos lost on a last-second Edmonton field goal.

After his playing career, Schultz moved into radio before 20 years as an analyst for TSN. He spent the last two seasons as colour commentator on the Argos’ radio broadcasts.

Bell Media senior vice-president Stewart Johnston called Schultz “a gentle giant who brought passion, dedication, and energy to his coverage of the game.”

“Chris was a unique voice in Canadian football broadcasting, and an iconic figure to fans across the country,” he said.

Schultz was inducted into the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

“The CFL is filled with countless men and women who make it spectacular, and we lost one of them (Thursday),” said Blue Bombers coach Mike O’Shea.